1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automotive exterior protection, and more particularly relates to detachable and reusable devices that protect the exterior of an automobile from side impacts from adjacently parked cars.
2. Description of the Related Art
The automobile protection devices in this field typically provide a protective buffer for side impacts for stationary automobiles. When an automobile is stationary, it can often be impacted by objects to the sides of that automobile. The sides of an automobile are most often not adequately protected by the front and rear bumpers. Contacts from other cars in a parking lot can often scar or dent the surface of the automobile or remove paint from the automobile surface. In addition to damaging the automobile aesthetically, this damage can cause permanent body damage as protective coatings are removed from the automobile surface and rusting can occur.
Certain automobiles contain built-in buffers along the side of the automobile, but these are often insufficient to protect against the impacts that the automobile receives. These built-in buffers are also often placed too high or too low on the automobile to protect the automobile body where the protection is needed. These buffers also do not extend far enough from the surface of the automobile to stop objects before those objects impact other portions of the automobile. Scratches and scars on these built-in buffers are still aesthetically damaging to the automobile as the buffer is part of the exterior of the automobile. In addition, there are many automobiles in which the styling does not include room for a built-in buffer to be places on the exterior of the automobile.
Other inventions in this field offer protection from scratches and dents, but can be difficult and clumsy to install and use. Several examples from the prior art utilize door clamps or straps which take time and effort to put in place every time the user wishes to protect his car from parking lot dents. It could be argued that even though difficult to install, the protection panels can just be left on while the car is in use. But it would ruin the aesthetic value of the car to have bulky buffer panels always attached. Other examples from the prior art offer side door buffer panels which are held in place only by industrial strength magnets. If these magnets were to slip down the car door, the door might be scratched by trapped dirt or irregularities in the magnet face.